Studio Lago Katie Lake Image of me

Why personal branding is so important for your business

Sep 26, 2022

Have you ever been told before that as a business owner you should show your face more? Does this fill you with dread? Perhaps a video of you speaking about what you do or demoing your craft or skill makes your shiver? Well, this is what I’m hoping to talk you into today, and there are powerful reasons why.

What is personal branding and why is it important?

Personal branding is essentially ‘humanising’ your brand. We live in a digital age where so much of what we do and so many of our purchasing decisions are made online without even meeting the person we do business with. We are still humans though, and humans buy from humans.

You might not be conscious of this, but a lot of the decisions we make to buy are based on emotions. The next time you buy something online, try to note how you feel? Did you buy because you felt connected to the person you bought from? Did you share the same values about something? Did you feel excited? Perhaps you bought from a big company that you’ve bought from before and you know that company provide great customer service or amazingly quick delivery. This is all part of the power of connections and companies building trust and authority online. If you like to geek out on the psychology side of things like me, then have  alook at this article to learn more about it.

As a small business owner myself, personal branding has been invaluable to me. I want to let you know all reasons why personal branding can help you elevate your brand and set you apart from the competition, including:

  • How personal branding will help your audience relate to you
  • Why you shouldn’t be afraid to tell your story
  • How to get started in making your brand more personal
Image of me-Stdio Lago Tablet

How personal branding will help your audience relate to you

So, why should you show your face to your customers or potential customers? Who cares about you? Well, anyone who might be interested in what you have to offer will be. And the decision to make your brand more personal could just be the thing that gets you the sale rather than your closest competitor.

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to tell your story

Your story and where you came from to get to what you’re doing now will add more dimension to your brand and personality. A lot of business owners are afraid or find it too difficult to put into words what their story is as they think people won’t care or it won’t sound good.

One thing I see business owners doing a lot is referring to themself as ‘we’ when actually they work by themselves. There is no harm in being a lone wolf. If you work by yourself and offer a very specialised service, tell people. If you have a team, let your potential clients know. Be totally transparent about who you are and what you do. It’s important to feature this information on an about page on your website. 

Why personal branding is so important for your business

How to get started in making your brand more personal

Professional photos

To get started, get some images of yourself taken in your workspace, studio or of you working. These don’t have to be professional images to start with but I would recommend that the more professional looking they are the better. If you have some photography skills, great. Use them. If you have a photographer friend, perfect. 

Investing in professional photos to create your personal brand will never be money wasted. Showing your face can transform things for your business and having professional photos will give you content to use for years to come. For personal branding photoshoot inspiration, pop over to Pinterest to search for creative ideas and create a board of images that fit in with your visual brand.

Get writing

Pull out a pen and paper and start writing your story down, adding fun facts about you or try adding an extra section to your about page or create a personal post with your story in the caption on Instagram.

Start with video

Create a video. I know, you hate me right now, but you’ll thank me later. We live in a video age. Static images no longer cut it and our attention spans are shorter than ever. Try to catch people’s attention with a video rather than making them read your website copy. This doesn’t have to be a video of you talking if you really can’t stand that. Get creative with showing potential clients how you create your products or how you work with people.

If you’re thinking of creating a video of yourself, to make this easier imagine you’re on a call with a potential client. Speak in exactly the way you would to a potential client. If you make it all too formal you’ll just make yourself nervous. Get creative!

Studio Lago Design Katie Lake photo of me

Make sure your authentic self comes through in all your messaging. In addition to photos and video is your messaging. The copy on your website, the captions on your social media and your ads. Some business owners go completely stiff when it comes to writing and tend to go all formal. That’s not your fault. It’s how we were taught to write at school. But nothing is more powerful than just being yourself. In fact, let’s be honest, it’s too much like hard work trying to be anything else!

 

Don’t worry about being formal in anything you write or say. You’ll attract the right clients and the ones that connect with you by being yourself. People will begin to relate to you and the more this happens, the more likely they are to then become your customers and part of your community.

 

If you’re anything like me, you’re bound to get overwhelmed with all the things you now need to do to make your brand more personal. I challenge you though to just out one of the above in place and do it soon. If you do, you’ll already be well on your way to building better connections and converting more people into customers because you’re building up trust and authority in your industry.

 

I’d really love to hear what you have put in place to start making your brand more personal and how this has started to help you. Get in touch to tell me all about it. And if you’d like to learn more about how I can help you build a strong, successful, personal brand find out more here about how you can work with me.

About the designer...

Hi! I’m Katie. Helping busy business owners create bold online brands and stand-out, non-boring websites is my jam. I’m passionate about giving once-upon-a-time-website DIYers, ambitious entrepreneurs and founders back the time to focus on doing the things they love the most in their businesses, giving them clarity in their online presence and the confidence to grow big!

Through this blog and on social media I share my advice and best practices with  business owners on how to build strong brands that will start attracting their dream customers and website that work by focusing on strategy and business goals.

When I’m not working with inspiring business owners or designing wedding cakes, you’ll probably find me dreaming of what my next meal will be, the best fruit garnishes for a gin and tonic or where we’ll travel to on our next adventure.

The latest on the blog

How to craft your brand message

Crafting a brand message is essential to connecting with your target audience and establishing a strong brand identity. Your brand message should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. So, what is your brand message and why is it important? Your branding goes way beyond just the visuals and having a brand message that’s consistent across platforms and everywhere you show up is key. You can...
Designing at desktop computer aerial view- Studio Lago Design

The Road to Branding Success: Avoiding These 5 Common Pitfalls

As a small business owner, establishing a strong brand is essential to success. There are several common branding pitfalls that small business owners often fall into that I have seen all too often in action. These can have a negative impact on your brand image and business. Avoid these 5 common branding pitfalls as a small business owner: Inconsistent Branding Inconsistency in branding is one of...
Studio Lago Design- Abstract Events Desktop website view

How to keep visitors on your website for longer

As a website designer, one of the most important goals I need to consider when designing, is how to keep visitors engaged and interested in the content on your site. A website that is able to do this will not only increase the time visitors spend on the site, but it will also lead to higher conversion rates and a better overall user experience. Here are some effective strategies that I consider...
Studio Lago Design Home

What is brand messaging and why is it so important?

As a branding and website designer, I see first hand the importance of brand messaging for small businesses. Brand messaging is the process of crafting a clear and consistent message that communicates what a business stands for and what it offers to its target audience. A strong brand message can help small businesses stand out in a crowded market, build trust and credibility with consumers, and...

How many pages should your website have?

If you're at the stage where you need a website for a new business or perhaps updating to a new and improved one, one of the questions you may be asking yourself is how many pages should it have? This can be a difficult question to answer as there isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are a few factors to consider that can help you make an informed decision. What’s the...

Why you should have a clickable email signature

You probably use email as an essential communication tool in your business, to exchange information, make appointments, and to establish and maintain relationships with customers, colleagues, and partners. With all of the email messages that we send and receive, it's important to make sure that we're taking full advantage of the opportunities that email presents. One way to do this is by making...
Studio Lago Design digital business card

Why you should hire a professional branding designer

Branding can be the key to success for any business, big or small. It’s the way your customers perceive you and your business and the experience you offer your clients when they work with you. A strong brand identity can differentiate your business from your competitors, create trust and loyalty with your customers and can make your business instantly recognisable. That’s why it is essential to...
Designing at desktop computer aerial view- Studio Lago Design

Humanising your brand

As a branding and website designer, I see how important it is to help my clients create a brand that connects with their audience in an authentic way. In such a fast-paced digital world, consumers crave authenticity, connection, and relatability. A humanized brand is one that creates an emotional connection with its customers, and this connection can drive long-term loyalty and repeat business. ...
Katie Lake Volcof of Studio Lago Design

The importance of brand tone of voice

As a branding and website designer, I get the importance of creating a strong brand that speaks to your audience. But beyond the visual aspects of branding, such as colors and logos, lies a crucial component that often gets overlooked: tone of voice. Your brand’s tone of voice is how your brand communicates with your audience, and it can greatly impact how your brand is perceived. Let’s look at...
Studio Lago Design- Claire Owen Cakes Desktop website view

Why a website is just the beginning

You’ve got a business so you need a website, of course. And a website is an essential part of establishing an online presence for any business or individual. However, it's just the beginning of a much larger process. Once your website is launched, that’s the start of something much, much bigger. Just because a website is live, it doesn’t mean anyone is going to know it’s there or just stumble...